Thirsk Easingwold InFocus Spring 2019

thirsk&easingwold Quarterly Royal Mail distribution: 16,700 homes & businesses www.jkanorth.com/thirsk | Spring 2019

InFocus

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inside

THIRSK & EASINGWOLD infocus

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The Clock

We find out about the exciting events and services being provided by The Clock this Spring

Rural Arts

We find out about the diverse Spring schedule at Rural Arts!

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06 local news: 08 local news: 10 events 10 local news: 14 local news

The Clock New Initiative FEATURED

The Clock Update FEATURED

Easingwold Singers Concert Local Events across the area FEATURED

Rural Arts this Spring

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Easingwold Art! The serengeti comes to Easingwold!

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14 local news: 16 garden: 18 safety 21 infocus 22

local news: FEATURED

Easingwold Art Society Update FEATURED

Blue Cross Update FEATURED

Hardy Spring plants All about Dash Cams Advertising Details & Index

Welcome to the Spring issue We welcome the longer days and lighter nights with a fabulous range of local news, events and activities. We have updates from The Clock (Pages 6 and 8), Easingwold Singers (p10), Rural Arts (page 14) and Easingwold Art Society (page14), there really is something for everyone!

Don’t forget, if you have any news, events, updates or stories of local interest, please send them to editorial@jkanorth.com and we’ll do our best to publish them for you. I hope you all enjoy this issue and I’ll see you again in Summer.

Best wishes,

T: 01609 777401 www.jkanorth.com

Christine Campbell | Editor InFocus Magazines are published in good faith and the editors cannot be held responsible in any way for inaccuracies in reports or advertising in reports or advertising that appear in this publication and the views of the contributors may not be the those of the editors. Adverts and advertisers appearing in the InFocus Magazines carry no implied recommendation from the magazine or the publishers. AllPlease rights reserved.

All information is mention InFocus infocus correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of going to press. InFocus Magazines cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions.

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News from The Clock

New Project in Thirsk to support women and girls help prepare for their futures Staff at The Clock have identified a need to provide a specific service to women and girls to help them address the issues which are holding them back.

In this year’s annual survey, 61% of respondents said they needed help to address the barriers which were preventing them from moving forward. Four Quarters has been designed by Clock staff to provide support, work experience and training to females.

The Clock is one of only 18 organisations across Leeds, Bradford, Wakefield, North Yorkshire and East Yorkshire to receive funding from Two Ridings Community Foundation from the new Tampon Tax Community Fund . The project will help females aged 13 and over to develop strategies for addressing problems. Each person will have a tailor-made package of support that will also include work experience on one of The Clock ‘s projects such as the furniture shop in Thirsk Market Place.

This is the first time that The Clock has delivered a gender specific project and we’re excited to see the results.

“I have been lucky enough to receive support from The Clock over the last 18 months. I’m not sure where I would be without them. The first time I walked in, they made me a cup of tea and showed me around.

As I got to know them more I felt comfortable to tell them what was worrying me and how I couldn’t see a future. Even though they are busy they have never once made me feel like my problems aren’t important to them. It’s amazing that we have this service in our little town”

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Spring @ The Clock Coming Next Harrogate Male Voice Choir are coming to support The Clock for the third year running! Don’t miss out on an evening of classic show-tunes and choral music. The concert takes place on 27th April in Thirsk Methodist Church starting at 7.30. Tickets available at The Clock and at The Shop in town.

Thank you so much to everyone who donated items to The Clock at Christmas. We collected and donated over 5000 items of food and toiletries which made up 81 Christmas food parcels which benefitted 259 individuals over the Christmas period. Without the support of people like you, there is no way we could achieve such amazing things.

New Project Four Quarters has been designed

by Clock staff to provide support, work experience and training to females. It’s the first time that

The Clock has delivered a gender specific project.

The Clock is one of only 18 organisations across Leeds, Bradford, Wakefield, North Yorkshire and East Yorkshire to receive funding from Two Ridings Community Foundation from the new Tampon Tax Community Fund . The project will help females aged 13 and over to develop strategies for addressing problems. Each person will have a tailor-made package of support that will also include work experience on one of The Clock ‘s projects such as the furniture shop in Thirsk Market Place.

Shared Time Social activities for older people aged 65 and over to reduce isolation and loneliness Tuesdays 2.30pm-4.30pm in The Clock Thursdays 11am-12.30pm in The Clock

Improving Lives

Through support and learning

Wednesday 10th April to Saturday 13th April 7.30pm At The Galtres Centre Easingwold

THE ODD COUPLE

A classic comedy by Neil Simon!

Directed by Cassandra Bullock

A group of young men assemble for cards in the apartment of divorced Oscar Madison. If the mess is any indication, it’s no wonder that his wife left him. Late to arrive is Felix Unger who has just been separated from his wife. Fastidious, depressed and none too tense, Felix seems suicidal, but as the action unfolds, Oscar becomes the one with murder on his mind when the clean freak and the slob ultimately decide to room together with hilarious results as ‘The Odd Couple`’!

Adults £10!

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Tailor made support to help the individuals identify and address multiple barriers which are preventing them from being ‘economically prosperous’ by Clock staff providing support and training. Criteria is unemployed or underemployed aged 16 and over from Thirsk and district. Please contact Andy Butcher for more information or to make a referral.

Planned training courses include: Customer Service, First Aid at Work, Functional Maths and English.

Clock Works Clockworks is the brand name for The Clock’s social enterprise activity. Leading the development and delivery of social businesses is one of the ways we believe we can meet the needs of our local community. This activity has four key purposes.

Closing gaps in local provision

Easingwold Players

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opportunities we will facilitate unemployed/under employed young people and adults to prepare for and secure appropriate employment.

Our ideas have come from our members telling us what they need access to and where there are any gaps locally. If you have any ideas as what would really help the local area that we can organise please do get in touch.

Work Experience Providing an opportunity for local people to get practical experience in a functioning business within a supportive environment and fulfils the practical aspect of many of the vocational training courses we provide at The Clock. Many of our members are gaining useful skills, building their confidence and giving back to the community through Clockworks.

Volunteering Offers people with time and skills the opportunity to share them with others in the community. We have hired a new Volunteer Co-

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ordinator who is working to get more of the community involved with helping The Clock. If you are interested in getting involved yourself please get in touch with Natalie on natalie@theclock.org or give us a ring.

Social and Environmental Impact By recycling our community’s valuable resources we are reducing the amount of waste and provide an opportunity for people to positively engage in supporting their community, either by donating or by buying from a locally-focussed social business.

The most visible arm of The Clockworks social enterprise is the furniture store that has opened near Thirsk Tourist Information. This gratefully accepts donations of: • Household Furniture and Items • Bicycles • School Uniform We aim to collect and sell these items on for the benefit of our local community.

(Top photo) The Clock’s members take part in a game of Boccia with residents of Hambleton Grange Care Home (Above photo) Young members take part in the Fun Factory Youth Club in Northallerton

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Out & About

Various

n Husthwaite & District Gardening Club Husthwaite & District Garden Club enjoyed some very successful and entertaining talks during 2018 and we look forward to some more interesting talks in the New Year. On 14th March we look forward to Paul Robinson introducing us to ‘Pests, Diseases and Poisonous Plants’. At the April meeting John and Gail Summerfield talk about ornamental grasses. The Club’s AGM will be on 9th May; this will be followed by an opportunity to ask gardening questions.

The final programmed event of the year will be our plant sale in Sunday 19th May. Club members, as well of members of the public, are invited to donate healthy plants for this annual event; proceeds from the sale go towards club funds. If possible plants should be labeled with the name and variety of plant. The plant sale will be held in Husthwaite village hall. The Club meets in Husthwaite Village Hall on the second Thursday of the month and gardeners of all levels and experience are welcome, including those with no experience at all. For further information please contact Simon Eedle on 07970 246033or look at our web site www. husthwaitevillage.com/organisations. php and click on Gardening Club. ........................................................

25th - 27th April

n Theatre 7.30pm. Northallerton Musical Theatre Company - “The Best of British” at The Forum, Northallerton.

Forget Brexit and come along to The Forum and enjoy Great Britain in song and dance including a glitzy Bond section. NMTC will take you on a journey with British Composers Lennon & McCartney, Adele, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Elgar, Richard Stilgoe to mention a few. The evening will finish with a Proms style finale. The Company will also be joined by a talented team of youngsters with Oliver, Matilda and more! Definitely a show not to be

Easingwold Singers The Easingwold Singers are busy preparing for our Spring Concert 2019 and we are confident we will do justice to the most exquisite and beautiful piece of music which will be the centrepiece of the concert, namely, Brahm’s German Requiem or Ein deutsches Requiem Op. 45 (1865–68) to use the full title; one of the great choral monuments of the nineteenth century. The work was composed, some believe, as a memorial to those Brahms lost (authorities differ as to whether he

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had his friend Robert Schumann or his mother most in mind when composing the work). Less a prayer for the dead, the work is rather a balm for the living, a meditation on selected passages from the Bible and the Apocrypha with an emphasis on comforting, sympathetic humanism.

The performance by the Easingwold Singers is based on that of a private concert given in London in 1871, for which Brahms arranged the original orchestral accompaniment for piano duet. This version, which emphasises the intimate, lyrical qualities of

the music, has justly achieved a popularity in its own right.

As you will no doubt note from the InFocus advertisement, on this occasion the choir is “going on tour”. Not very far but on Saturday 18th May 2019 we will be travelling a few miles up the A19 and staging our concert at St Oswald’s Church, Sowerby commencing at 7.30 pm.

Fret not, we are not deserting our home town of Easingwold and we will be back at St John the Baptist & All Saints Church for our December concert. However, we feel that this particular piece of music needs to

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missed!

Tickets (£10 to £14) are available from The Forum from 19th March Tel. 01609 776230 or on line at www.forumnorthallerton.org.uk ........................................................ n Wensleydale Railway’s NEW tea service for 2019 Come aboard and enjoy our NEW tea service on The Wensleydale Railway. We will be hosting a different tea service each month ranging from Afternoon Teas to Scenic Lunches.

For more details and to book please go to our website or call 01677 425 805. www.wensleydailrail.com Sunday 31st March Mother’s Day Afternoon Tea Sunday 21st April Easter Afternoon Tea Adults £32.50 Children £17.50

Gin Train Join us on the 27th April, on our first gin train of the New Year!

A selection of three gin based drinks from our guest distiller Durham Distillery, will be served during the journey for £29.50pp which includes return train travel from Bedale station.

A gin expert from Durham Distillery will be on board offering samples and answering all your gin related questions.

Durham Distillery gin will also be on sale at the end of the evening if you would like to take a bottle home! If G&Ts are not to your taste instead you can receive three prosecco/ale/cider tokens with train travel for £25.00. ...We also have a train ride only ticket available for £15.

Please go to our website: www.wensleydalerail.com or call 01677 425 805 to book.

We have four first class compartments seating six people available on our evening trains at a supplement of £24 (£4 each) on top of the regular ticket price. If you would like to book a compartment please call the admin team in the office on 01677 425 805 ........................................................

be sung in a church setting but we also require a grand piano and just cannot envisage how this could be accommodated in Easingwold. St Oswald’s does have a grand piano which is in regular use and happily for us we have been granted permission to perform there in Spring. This undoubtedly is a slight departure from our norm but we actually do have quite a few singers who come from Thirsk and the villages surrounding both Easingwold and Thirsk and so this is an ideal location on this occasion and we do hope that we will still be supported by our loyal audience and friends.

Having an event?

Email us your event details to: events@jkanorth.com and we’ll publish it for you. Magazine distribution dates are on p22.

11th May n Rossini: Petite Messe Solonnelle 7.30pm All Saint’s Church, Northallerton.

Tickets from www.northyorkshirechorus.org.uk ........................................................

19th May

n Sessay Scarecrow Festival 1.30pm to 5.00pm We are holding a Scarecrow Festival to raise funds to refurbish our village play area. Come and have fun on our scarecrow trail with competitions, tombola, and other activities. Take a break to enjoy refreshments and cake while the children enjoy the activities! ........................................................

2nd June

n Rainton Street Market and Fun Day 11-3pm, YO7 3PH Assorted stalls, classic cars, tombola, BBQ and homemade refreshments.

In aid of village hall and children’ playground.

Free admission and parking.

If you would like to book a stall contact Jenny 01845 578349 ........................................................

What’s On @ The Galtres Centre?

24th April

n Bohemian Rhapsody 7:30pm to 9:45pm. A foot-stomping celebration of Queen, their music and their extraordinary lead singer Freddie Mercury. Adults £5, 16 & under £3.

27th April n Movie Night with Generation Groove 7:30pm to 9:30pm. Music from some of the best loved movie soundtracks.

Generation Groove is a community band based in Haxby, near York. All proceeds from concerts will be reinvested back

Just as a little recap on the events of 2018, we held our Christmas Concert, Antonio Vivaldi’s “GLORIA” on Saturday 8th December at St John the Baptist and All Saints Church Easingwold and the concert was very joyous, as it’s name implies. The performance was well received with our audience sincerely expressing their appreciation and thanks. Following this on Sunday 16th December we were privileged to be invited to sing carols at Nunnington Hall which was a very enjoyable and atmospheric in a beautiful historic home especially as we were singing

into the band. Tickets £10.

10th May n The Children Act 7:30pm to 9:15pm. In the midst of a marital crisis, a High Court judge must decide if she should order a life-saving blood transfusion for a teen with cancer despite his family’s refusal to accept medical treatment for religious reasons.

Adults £5, 16 & under £3.

The Galtres Box Office is situated in the entrance foyer and is open Mon-Fri 9.00am-5.00pm. Tel. 01347 822472 Galtres Centre at Market Place Easingwold, N.Yorks, England, YO61 3AD ........................................................

Stillington Village Hall 7th April 7.30pm. A welcome return visit from Snake Davis, Helen Watson and Dave Bowie with Burden of Paradise 3 (BoP3) Soulful sax, pulsing double bass and caressing vocals – no drums! Bar and raffle on the night.

Tickets £15, available on-line from www.ruralarts.org, text 07484 157759, tel 01347 811544 See www.snakedavis.rocks for more information 28th April 7.30pm. Graffiti Classics are a string quartet with one aim: to make classical music wickedly funny and fantastically exhilarating – see how on www. graffiticlassics.com A world-class show in our village hall! From Beethoven to Bluegrass, Mozart to Elvis, Baroque to Pop, something to get everyone laughing, clapping and singing along.

Bar and raffle on the night.

Tickets £12, available on-line from www.ruralarts.org, text 07484 157759, tel 01347 811544 ........................................................

Please note: the editors cannot be held responsible for any changes to events listed. Please contact event organisers directly. All events correct at time of going to press.

so close to Christmas, which is always evocative . Not all members of the Choir attended but those that did thoroughly enjoyed the experience and we are already in the diary to repeat performance in December 2019 so are very much looking forward to the occasion once more.

If you would like to know more about the choir, please don’t hesitate to contact either Polly our Chairman on 01845 524 795 or email us: easingwoldsingers@ gmail.com We will be happy to hear from you.

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Northallerton’s High Street events for 2019

Classic Car Sunday on April 28th

UCI Men’s Elite Cycle Time Trial Wednesday 25th September All support for these events provided free to the community by local businesses.

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loveNorthallerton

FREE PARKING

Join us for a free family fun day out

ON SUNDAYS

Northallerton Dog Week from the 19th October Saving offers, gifts & more from your High Street.

Vintage Homefront 1940’s Sunday on June 9th

Download your TREAT online

www.lovenorthallerton.com/littlebookofoffers

#Shop local and

your High Street

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Spring at Rural Arts Book places online at www.ruralarts.org or call The Rural Arts Café and Shop are open Tuesday to 01845 526536 Saturday, 10am - 4pm (shop open Mondays) Rural Arts, The Courthouse, Westgate, Thirsk,

The Wild Serengeti Live Watercolour Demonstration and Talk Easingwold and District Art Society is delighted to welcome one of the UK’s top British watercolour artists David Bellamy to The Galtres Centre Easingwold YO61 3AD on Friday 26th April 2019 at 7.30pm

20th Mar, £17

The Peas are the masters at taking your guilty pop pleasures from the 80s and 90s and giving them a classy reworking with just a change of chords and a bluegrassy rock’n’rolling acoustic disco beat!

Clasp Purse

6 Feet 3 Shoes (Dance)

David is a full-time artist and author, he has written and illustrated over 17 books and made DVDs on his techniques in watercolour. He has a tremendous following among leisure painters, many of whom have attended his popular courses and workshops. He is particularly fascinated by the moods of nature in wild places, much of this inspired by extensive travel throughout the world.

A Taste of Art Workshops

Every Wednesday 10.30am-12.30pm.

Introduction To Zips 27th Mar, £17

Ornate Lettering 3rd Apr, £15

Terracotta Suns 10th Apr, £20

Introduction To Sashiko Embroidery 1st May, £17

Lotus Flower Candles 8th May, £15

Mixed Media Scrapbooking 15th May, £15

Felt Bird Brooches/ Keyrings 22nd May, £17

Families and young people Easter Holidays

Let your creativity blossom in these Springtime workshops.

Miniature Garden In A Box Tue 16th Apr, £4.50

Terracotta Plant Pots Wed 17th Apr, £6.50

Tulip + Daffodil Paper Bouquets Thu 18th Apr, £4.50

Digital Garden Design Tue 23rd Apr, £4.50

Ivy Man Ceramics Wed 24th Apr, £6.50

Flora + Fauna Drawing Thu 25th Apr, £4.50

May Half Term

Get in touch with your wild side with animal-themed workshops.

Carnival Of The Animals Masks Tue 28th May, £4.50

Clay Animal Heads Wed 29th May, £6.50

3D Pop Up Cards Thu 30th May, £4.50

Performances

Come along to intimate performances in our Courtroom, which showcase exciting new talent.

The Peas Fri 22 Mar, 7.30pm, Adult: £12, U18: £8 Age guidance: 14+

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Thu 28th Mar, 2pm, £2.50 Dancer Jenni Wren performs a mix of Flamenco, Scottish and Contemporary dance for our event celebrating the culmination of our Art On Your Doorstep project.

Comedy at the Courthouse

Wed 24th Apr, 7.30pm, £10 Age guidance: 14+ Enjoy an evening of comedy from Yorkshire live wire Scott Bennett, who has toured with the likes of Rob Brydon and Michael McIntyre. With support from Ross Brierley, Carla Pol and MC Tom Taylor.

Five Loose Chippings Sat 25th May, 7.30pm, Adults: £7, U18s: £5 This group of local musicians play a whole range of ‘foot-tappingly sensational’ music from Blues and Country through to a variety of popular songs.

Through his painting and writing he hopes to bring about a greater awareness of the importance of the conservation of the natural environment. On this special evening David will talk about his travels and share some of his extraordinary experiences, whilst demonstrating a watercolour landscape of the Serengeti.

David is an excellent story teller, and this will be an opportunity to relax and listen to him whilst watching the magic of an artist bringing a painting to life.

We anticipate this will be a very popular event and tickets will be on sale direct from the Galtres Centre.

Tickets available from The Galtres Centre Tel: 01347 822472 Mon-Fri 9.00am – 5.00pm Ticket price £12.50 (16 and under £10.00)

David Bellamy – The Wild Serengeti Live Watercolour Demonstration and Evening Talk

Cardboard Carnival by Lempen Puppets Tue 28th May, 2pm, Adult: £8, U18: £6 Suitable for ages 4+ Imaginative, spellbinding, surprising and sometimes bonkers, Lempen Puppet Theatre tour their own unique brand of original stories told with puppets.

Artist Workshops

Learn an artistic skill in a relaxed, creative environment. Suitable for beginners. Materials included.

Willow Pheasants with Wendy Bristow Sat 23rd Mar (10am-4pm) £67

Relief Printing with Graham Copping Sat 6th Apr (10am-4pm) £60

Chalk Pastels with Paint with Angela Hall Wed 17th Apr (10am-1pm) £45

Easingwold and District Art Society welcomes renowned Artist David Bellamy to the Galtres Centre Easingwold YO61 3AD on Friday 26th April 2019 at 7:30pm Tickets available from Galtres Centre Tel 01347 822472 Box Office open Mon-Fri 9:00am to 5:00pm Ticket price £12.50 (16 and under £10)

EDAS

www.easingwoldartex.org

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Easter Bunny Cakes Recipe Ingredients Serves: 30 Easter cakes 250g butter, softened 350g sugar 3 eggs 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 450g plain flour 1 teaspoon bicarb of soda 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 450ml soured cream Buttercream icing 250g butter, softened 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 600g icing sugar 2 tablespoons milk Decoration 1 tube black decorating icing

30 marshmallows, cut in half lengthways pink decorating sugar chocolate buttons or smarties Method Prep:25min › Cook:25min › Extra time:50min › Ready in:1hr40min Preheat the oven to 180 C / Gas mark 4. Line a muffin tin with paper cases.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add lemon zest and vanilla; mix well.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, bicarb, baking powder and salt. Add to creamed mixture alternately with soured cream (cake mixture will be thick). Fill muffin cups with 4 tablespoons of cake mixture. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer inserted near the centre comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes; remove to wire

racks to cool completely.

Meanwhile make the icing: In a large bowl, cream together the butter and vanilla. Blend in the sugar, a quarter at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the milk, and continue mixing until light and fluffy.

Take the marshmallow halves and place them on a clean surface, cut side down. Spread a little bit of icing over the top of each. Then sprinkle with the pink decorating sugar. These are your ears.

When the cakes are cool, spread an even layer of icing over each. Then take the prepared marshmallow halves and carefully place two on each cake to make the ears. Finally, make the face by putting a choc button or smartie in the middle for a nose, and then drawing eyes and whiskers with the black decorating icing.

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Spring at the Blue Cross Putting the kettle on for pets in need Join the Blue Cross team at Thirsk and Sowerby Town Hall on Sunday 12 May for a fun morning of tea, cake and chat – all in aid of homeless, abandoned and unwanted pets.

The event will take place from 11:00am until 3:00pm with cups of tea and plenty of delicious cakes. There will also be a raffle and a cake stall. Dogs are welcome to come along too!

The tea party will be held at Thirsk and Sowerby Town Hall, Westgate, Thirsk YO7 1QR.

Looking for love – pets looking for a home to call their own Looking for love this Spring are Lily and Cosmo who are sadly the centre’s longest stay pets. Lily is a six-year-old tortoiseshell cat who has been looking for a new home for far longer than any other cat at the centre. She has bags of personality and loves to settle on a cosy lap. She would prefer a quieter home and is happy to be left for a working day.

Cosmo has also been homeless for a long time. He is a two-year-old Siberian husky who is a real character and full of fun. He has bags of energy and loves to explore and play. He was a stray so will need patient owners who understand the breed but patience will pay off as there is never a dull moment when Cosmo is around.

To find out more about the tea party fundraiser, volunteering opportunities, rehoming a pet from Blue Cross in Thirsk, or making a donation towards their care contact the centre on 0300 777 1540, email thirsk@bluecross.org. uk or visit www.bluecross.org.uk.

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GARDEN VIEW

Hardy Annuals!

Hardy annuals: the name is an oxymoron. Hardy plants are supposed to be able to survive the winter aren’t they, but annuals, by their definition, don’t.

In fact, the names hardy, half-hardy and tender, when applied to annuals, refer to the relative cold tolerance of the newly planted seeds.

Hardy annual seeds can handle being frozen in the soil so are ideal for planting outside, either in the autumn or now.

Productive, adaptable and cheap, they are the ideal creditcrunch plants. They are also easy-to-grow, so are brilliant for beginner gardeners.

For best results sow them as thinly as possible, cover lightly with sifted soil then firm it down. Protect them from cats and birds with netting until the seedlings are well established then thin them out to the distance recommended on the packet.

Good flowers for the annual-novice include poppy, calendula, larkspur, fried- egg plants (limnanthes), love-in-themist, clarkia and cornflowers.

If I could grow only one it would be Nigella damascena (love-in-the-mist). It’s an old cottage-garden plant and ‘Miss Jekyll’ is a beautiful, soft, pure blue variety with the added bonus of stripy seed pods once the flowers have faded.

flower. Children particularly love to grow them. Sow them singly in small pots or directly into the earth. If you sow them directly, plant two seeds into each hole and thin to one once they are established. They may need to be staked as they grow. There are some terrific varieties. A favourite of mine is Prado Red, which as the name suggests, produces deep red flowers. If you pinch them out, they‘ll grow to five feet and produce numerous blooms on each plant.

If sunflowers are the kings of the hardy annuals, then sweet peas are surely the fragrant queens. Old-fashioned or antique varieties tend to be best for scent though their flowers are slightly smaller. The great thing about sweet peas is that you have to pick them to prolong flowering so you have a wonderful excuse to have a fragrant home all summer long. Sweet peas should be planted a little deeper than other annuals. They are very thirsty flowers. My granddad used to line his sweet pea trenches with lots of wet newspaper. He won prizes for his blooms, so he obviously knew a thing or two about it.

Next time you’re at the garden centre...walk right on by the showy (and expensive) potted plants and head for the seed section. For a very small outlay you can add colour, shape, interest and completely transform your plot ...and if you don’t like it, you can always change it again next year.

Happy gardening!

By Rachael Leverton

The king of the hardy annuals though has to be the sun-

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The dashboard camera, or dash cam, has become increasingly popular recently. So, should you think about buying one?

But why might you want one?

First-hand evidence in case of a car accident - This is the main reason why people invest in one. If you are involved in a collision you can prove that it was not your fault by submitting the camera footage as evidence. It’s a compelling reason for buying one.

Reporting a dangerous driver - Sometimes you see a driver do something so reckless and irresponsible right in front of you that you fear for the safety of other road-users. Reporting that person becomes much easier with evidence. In the US there are special channels for reporting dangerous drivers, with the aim of making roads safer for everyone. It is probable that the UK will follow suit.

Dash Cams

Extra insurance for parents - We worry when our teens first start to borrow the car that they may not stick to the rules of the road. Knowing that there is a dash cam monitoring their driving behaviour is an extra incentive for them to pay attention, or they might not be trusted to take the car out again!

Prevention of insurance claim scams - Insurance fraud is a growing problem with vehicles. Some drivers purposely cause minor car accidents in order to put the blame on the other party, so they

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can extort money from the victim. The victim has no way of proving their innocence, so these people also fake injuries in order to collect the insurance money from their insurance companies. A dash cam will at least allow you to prove that you were not at fault in such a case.

It keeps an eye on your car while you are not in it!

- Have you ever returned to your car in a car park to find it’s been scratched? Or are you sure the neighbour’s children are scraping their bikes along the side of your vehicle when they squeeze past on the drive? A well-installed dash camera can efficiently record such events because most can be set to record even when the car engine isn’t running.

Some can even send all the data to your laptop or smart phone remotely, giving you peace of mind.

Because the best camera is the one you have with you - It’s not all about the car! Check out online videos of dash cams capturing unexpected phenomena. A family of ducks stopping traffic in Birmingham, a plane crashing right in front of a guy driving down a highway, and one Russian car driver’s dash camera recorded an enormous meteor that flew over Russia. The clip ended up being viewed millions of times on YouTube!

Dash cams are set to become as necessary an addition to our driving life as sat-navs. If you don’t already have one, perhaps you should think about it.

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Resin Drives: p24 Gifts BATA: p19 Granary Picture Framing: p17 Spectrum Framing & Gallery: p5 Hair & Beauty Beauty Within: p3 Healthcare & Wellbeing Clock Tower Dental: p9 Market Place Dentistry: p3 Smile Denture Clinic: p9 Home & Interiors BATA: p19 Brian Jones Upholstery: p6 Court Homemakers: p2 Dales of Thirsk: p17 Dream Doors: p5 Granary Picture Framing: p17 Harelooms: p6 Hovingham Fireplaces: p6

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Jody Gray Upholstery: p5 Rooms By Design: p7 Spectrum Framing & Gallery: p5 Kitchen & Bathrooms Court Homemakers: p2 Dales of Thirsk: p17 Dream Doors: p5 Rooms By Design: p7 Machinery Black Dog Machinery: p22 Memorials Dales of Thirsk: p17 Motoring Station Autos: p21 Property Maintenance Aerial Services York: p23 Design Exteriors: p24 Garolla Garage Doors: p23 Handy Andy: p22 NYG Ltd: p23

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Thirsk & Easingwold Copy: 17th May 2019 Dist: w/c 10th June 2019

Resin Drives: p24 Rooftec Roofing Contractors: p1 Standing Property Maintenance: p18 T. G & H Harper Builders Ltd: p22 Recruitment Lightwater Valley: p11 Safety Road Safety Partnership: p20 Solar Power Peak Power Systems: p23 Sport & Leisure Venture Cycles: p10 Storage Sycamore Storage: p18 Windows NYG Ltd: p23

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